You are here

Grammy Nominee Mary Lambert to Sing

Tuesday, January 28, 2014 - 9:00am

You may have heard Seattle singer-songwriter Mary Lambert perform at this year’s Grammy Awards. Now, thanks to the student organization Femmepowered, you can see her in person at Mount Holyoke. Lambert will share her poetry and music in a solo performance in Chapin Auditorium Sunday, February 16, at 7 pm.

Lambert’s life changed dramatically when rap duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis gave her two hours to write a killer chorus to their marriage-equality rap/ballad hybrid “Same Love.” She wrote it, they loved it, and the collaboration went double-platinum and won a 2013 MTV video music award for best song with a social message.

Then they performed at this year’s Grammys. "Same Love" was nominated for both song and album of the year.

Lambert has been playing the piano and singing since she was six; she learned the guitar at ten, then later became a spoken-word poet and studied classical music composition at Cornish College of the Arts. Last year, her career started to skyrocket after the “Same Love” collaboration. Her EP, Welcome to the Age of My Body, is now out, and a full-length album is expected to be released later this year through Capitol Records.

Her songs often reflect Lambert’s experiences as a woman who is plus-size, Christian, and lesbian. Some, such as “She Keeps Me Warm,” extol happy same-sex romance, while others, such as “Sarasvati,” go into much darker, sadder territory. “The fact that my work has affected people on a personal level is what I’ve always wanted as an artist,” she says. “Human connection is what makes us better people.”

Tickets will be sold only at the door ($5 with Mount Holyoke ID; $7 for others), and all seats are general admission. Doors open at 6 pm, and seating is limited to 1,000 people. (Be aware in this cold weather that there is no indoor waiting area before 6 pm.)